Tom Chisholm, who served on the USGA Executive Committee for seven years (1990-1996), died on May 3, 2011, just six days shy of his 77th birthday in his hometown of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Among his several duties on the Executive Committee involved chairing the Green Section, Museum and Library, and Amateur Public Links Championship committees.
Before joining the Executive Committee, Chisholm, the former vice president of Eaton Corporation, had been a long-time green committee chairman at Bloomfield Hills Country Club. When he was appointed chair of the Green Section Committee by USGA President Reg Murphy in 1994, Chisholm brought a keen interest and passion to the importance of turfgrass and the environmental programs, and he recognized that playing surfaces on golf courses would decline unless the USGA applied essential resources to the need. He continued to volunteer on the USGA Green Section Committee from 1997 - 2011, and supported funding turfgrass research at Michigan State University for the benefit of the game. In addition to his long volunteerism to the USGA, Chisholm was dedicated to working with the GCSAA to combat criticism that golf courses jeopardize the environment.
"My dad's dedication to the game was surpassed only by his love for his family and friends," said his son, Tom Chisholm Jr. "His handshake was his word. He embodied honor and integrity, which are the core attributes in the game of golf."
On the state level, Chisholm served as president of the Golf Association of Michigan and was inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2006. Chisholm was in the same induction class as former USGA Women's Committee chairman Jeanne Myers.
Chisholm is survived by his wife of 53 years, Carol, daughters Donna Chisholm and Kathleen McInerney, and two sons, Tom Jr. and Patrick. He also is survived by six grandchildren.